am listening to it this snowy Christmas morn. 'Tis a wonderful mix of traditional and bluegrass appalachian style music. I believe many of you fine folks will like it. I will research the selections for "newness". We have Dement, Cash,Rossum,Harris,Loveless,McKee,Carter,Welch,Dickens and more. A beautiful entrancing album! Merry C.

I'm trying to get information about the movie "Songcatchers". My understanding is that it is about searching for songs in the Appalachians during the early 1900's. I also understand that there is also either a CD or VHS associated with it. I have drawn a blank on Google.

Beautiful film - well worth digging out. Amazing performance by Agnes Dement (spelling??) an actress who learned to sing in the Applalachian style for the part I believe. One of the few feature films on traditional music that makes a good job of the subject (along with Ill Fares The Land - St Kilda)

A Song Catcher In Southern Mountains: American Folk Songs Of British Ancestry

Along with a chapter or two describing her adventures, the book contains lyrics and tunes collected in the Blue Ridge Mountains and adjoining regions. Some of the songs she "caught" are standard old-time/bluegrass repertoire.

Note also that the CD is not the same music as the movie. It is similar but largely much commercialized. Fraud, in other words. Some prefer the CD but the value of the very fine movie is much obscured. Please see the movie. Blockbuster or somewhere.

For some update & perspective, you might be interested that the family tradition of ballad singing still exists in Madison County. Consider the Madison County Project at http://www.madisoncountyproject.org/

The viewable/downloadable documentary film is under "Video Builds." It's maybe 50 meg so you might want to be sure you have a fast line.

Iris Dement is from Missouri, and probably was influenced by Ozark hills music from closer to her home before she found Appalacihian hill country music...she is now married to folk musician Greg Brown.

you can always find info on movies at the Internet movie data base (IMDB): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0210299/

The movie's good, but I wouldn't bother buying the cds. Unlike "Oh, Brother" in which the cd music is better than the movie, in "Songcatcher" it is quite a boring soundtrack. Sheila Kay Adams was musical consultant to the movie, however, & her music, available here:

Yes, the original soundtrack CD was quite uninterseting - to my ears at least. However, Vanguard subsequently issued a CD titled "Songcatcher II - The Traditions That Inspired the Movie." Quite nice. It includes tracks by Almeda Riddle, Hobart Smith, Doc Watson, Dock Boggs, Sarah Ogan Gunning, Roscoe Holcomb, Cousin Emmy, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, Clarence Ashley and Maybelle Carter, all recorded long before the movie of course The booklet notes say a few kind words about the soundtrack CD, but do politely suggest that those performances were not entirely satisfying.

one of my first encounters with this hill country music was Instrumental music of the southern appalachians.. it has been re-issued on c.d.

it has Hobart Smith , among others, on it.

I think there is info on the Smithsonian folkways site 'about this and other traditional music..

als the fellow who was consultant on the Cold Mountain music was band member of Cordelia's Dad, the name escapes me now. I think we have had threadsa bout him...Tim Erickson perhaps? he did the musical direction on the scenes with shape note music in them.

I thought that the contrast between Janet McTeer's character's 'high art' rendition of 'Barbara Allen' and Elizabeth LaPrelle's character's 'mountain' version was quite stunning - frankly, it reduced me to tears and confirmed why I love the old songs, and the old singing styles so much. It is not often that the Film Industry gets things this right.

I had heard Iris Dement singing her own songs before and had hoped to hear her singing traditional songs. Ms Dement's performance in the film is as brilliant as I could have hoped for - wonderful! Does anyone know if she has recorded any other trad. songs?

I think I should clarify - Elizabeth LaPrelle is a wonderful mountain ballad singer - but was not the character Deladis in Songcatcher - that was Emmy Rossum (who sang a very different style in Phantom).

Unfortunately, even on the soundtrack, as others have complained, there is almost nothing Of Emmy Rossum singing those old songs in the old style. Elizabeth's CD is one place you can hear that, though it has no relation to the movie. Incidentally, you can find more about her here.

The movie has nothing to do with this actually. Back when it came out, every time somebody saw some article in the press, they started a new thread leading to about a dozen threads which became a target of fun for me.......Mudcatters can never post to an old thread as they all feel their own contribution is far too important to be lost. They feel it will not be read......because THEY don't read old threads themselves!

Actually Fred, there are far more than seven. I sorta' thought back then that more than one was a waste but Mudcatters just can't abide checking for a pre-existing thread since they think their own opinion will be lost in an older thread. You see, they themselves don't read older threads or all of a thread so there ya' go!

Actually Spaw - from what I see, it is "Thread Starters" who never read old threads in case someone already has said what they want to say - only better! "Thread Readers" just never notice that the thread they are adding to is a request for advice on a banjo someone saw in a junk shop fifteen years ago, and if they haven't made up their mind to buy it by now, it probably isn't worth spending cash on...

Quack! Geoff the Duck. By the way! What is this film Songcatcher? Is it a new one? and is it going to be out in the Cinemas? :-)

Shatner ain't got squuat to do with it, Just my own tiny protest about folks who don't read threads of start threads without looking.......and btw Joe, I just refreshed "Songcatcher 10" for your amusement!

I just watched Songcatcher with an open mind and an open bottle of Merlot. What a mess! Where to begin???? Did the lady with the bloody baby survive selling her water colors? Where did she get those watercolors? Did her children survive seeing their father shot to death? Did anyone else notice the electric wires in the barn - I think someone must have had an electric guitar. The lead actress had two emotions - stunned with eyes wide and less stunned with eyes half closed. Did those mountain men not smell bad? WHy were the ladies always well-pressed even when they were grubby? How come no one had rotten teeth? You notice I haven't gotten to the story line yet. Did anyone else have The Naked Lunch come to mind while the mountain man seduced the Songcatcher and the lesbians went at it against a tree? What a fucking mess - literally. Pat ending. Pure claptrap. So, Dick, I give it a two. Can't dance to it for sure. WHich reminds me - that brawl in the barn was pathetic. Help me here Spaw. I need your insight.